Summary of new planned, potential US chemical plants

07 January 2013 23:15[Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--The advent of shale gas has lowered both energy and feedstock costs for chemical producers in the US and Canada, and several have consequently begun considering or actually pursuing expansion plans.

US firm to site ammonia plant in Indiana06 December 2012Ohio Valley Resources LLC (OVR) has selected Spencer County, Indiana, as the location for a proposed $1bn nitrogen fertilizer plant, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) said on Thursday. The Spencer County site was selected because of its access to two interstate natural gas pipelines, said OVR chief executive Doug Wilson.

Sasol proceeds with FEED stage for US GTL plant, ethane cracker03 December 2012Sasol is moving forward with the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase for an integrated gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility and world-scale ethane cracker at its Lake Charles site in southwest Louisiana, the South African energy and chemicals company said on Monday.

US Georgia Gulf considers condo cracker07 November 2012 US-based vinyls producerGeorgiaGulfis considering investing in a joint partnership on a condo cracker in order to secure more ethylene feedstock, the chief executive said on Wednesday.

US petroleum-coke-to-methanol project lines up offtake contracts31 October 2012A petroleum-coke-to-methanol project in Louisiana has lined up long-term contracts by major producers, officials said on Wednesday.While the final investment decision has not been made yet, Lake Charles Clean Energy (LCCE) said this week that it has long-term contracts with BP, Air Products and Chemicals and Denbury Onshore to buy much of the material that would be made at the proposed $2.5bn plant.

Mexichem, OxyChem mull US cracker to supply Mexico firm with VCM16 August 2012Occidental Chemical (OxyChem) and Mexichem signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate the creation of a joint venture to build a 500,000 tonne/year ethane cracker. If the companies go through with the project, OxyChem will use nearly all of the ethylene as feedstock to produce 1m tonnes/year of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) at its complex in Ingleside, Texas. OxyChem would then sell the VCM to Mexichem under a long-term contract.

US Enterprise to build on-purpose propylene unit in Texas20 June 2012US midstream services company Enterprise Products will build a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit in Texas.It will have a capacity of 750,000 tonnes/year of polymer grade propylene (PGP) and use 35,000 bbl/day of propane.

Williams mulls on-purpose propylene plant in Canada19 July 2012US-based mid-stream and olefins firm Williams is considering building an on-purpose propylene plant in Alberta, Canada, the company said on Thursday.The plant would cost $600m-800m, and it would have a capacity of 1bn lb/year (454,000 tonnes/year), the company said.

US ExxonMobil plans world-class Texas petchem project01 June 2012 ExxonMobil is planning a multi-billion dollar petrochemical expansion at its facility in Baytown, Texas, which would include a new 1.5m tonne/year steam cracker.The ethane cracker will provide ethylene feedstock for two new 650,000 tonne/year high-performance polyethylene (PE) lines at the company’s nearby Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant.The "world-class" project, due to start-up in 2016, will also include premium product facilities at the integrated Baytown complex and will capitalise on the North American shale gas boom.

Taminco to increase methylamine capacity in Florida by 60%30 May 2012Belgium's Taminco will expand its Pace methylamine plant in Florida by an additional 100,000 tonnes/year.The advent of low-cost natural gas played a role in the expansion, since methylamines are used in the treatment of oil and natural gas as well as the drilling process.

US Dyno Nobel studying possible Louisiana ammonia plant30 May 2012 US chemical maker Dyno Nobel International is nearing completion of a feasibility study on building an $800m ammonia production facility in Waggaman, Louisiana.Utah-based Dyno Nobel is considering the development of a 750,000 tonne/year anhydrous ammonia plant on the site of a previous ammonia plant at Cornerstone Chemical's existing complex on the west bank of the Mississippi river in Jefferson Parish.

US Eastman to source propylene from 750,000 tonne/year project23 May 2012 A 750,000 tonne/year propane dehydrogenation (PDH) project by a yet-to-be announced supplier will provide propylene to US-based Eastman Chemical.Eastman has a 10-year contract with the producer, who will start up the PDH project in 2015.

APIC ’12: Indorama explores US cracker with multiple partners18 May 2012 Thailand-based Indorama Ventures (IVL) is exploring an investment in a US-based cracker with multiple partners.On 29 February, Indorama announced at its annual investor meeting that it already completed a pre-feasibility study for a 1.3m tonne/year cracker in the US with an undisclosed partner, and expects to complete a full feasibility study by 2013.

US CP Chem to build PE plants in Old Ocean, Texas30 April 2012 Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) has selected Old Ocean, Texas, as the site for its two planned polyethylene (PE) plants.The plants would each have a capacity of 500,000 tonnes/year, using CP Chem’s propriety loop slurry technology. The facility should be on line by 2017.

US Dow to announce derivative plants following cracker news19 April 2012 US-based Dow Chemical will announce new ethylene derivative units later this year that will consume the product of the cracker the company is building at Freeport, Texas. One of the derivative units will produce polyethylene (PE).

INEOS to boost capability for further expansion at Chocolate Bayou18 April 2012INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA will have the ability to expand capacity at its Chocolate Bayou facility in Texas beyond its planned 115,000 tonne/year debottlenecking with the installation of a new ethylene furnace.On 10 April, US engineering firm KBR announced it will design and construct an ethylene furnace that would add 465m lb/year (around 211,000 tonnes/year) of furnace production capacity to INEOS’s Chocolate Bayou complex.

INEOS picks US KBR to design, build Texas ethylene furnace10 April 2012KBR won a contract to design and build an ethylene furnace for INEOS at its Chocolate Bayou site in Texas.The furnace will add 465m lb/year (211,000 tonnes/year) of capacity at the complex, KBR said, adding it will use KBR’s proprietary technology.

AFPM '12: On-purpose BD to meet supply crunch01 April 2012The growing supply crunch of butadiene (BD) will likely be met by on-purpose production. TPC Group expects that the world will be short by 1.7bn lb/year (771,000 tonnes/year) of BD by 2017.

INSIGHT: Indorama joins US ethylene fray12 March 2012Thailand-based Indorama Ventures Ltd (IVL) is jumping into the US ethylene cracker fray, joining a crowded field of players that are going full steam ahead with new crackers and expansions, as well as considering projects.

Formosa to build 800,000 tonne/year olefins cracker in Texas27 February 2012 Formosa Plastics plans to build an 800,000 tonne/year olefins cracker, a propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit and a low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit at its Point Comfort, Texas, facility as part of $1.7bn in capital investments.

Sasol moves ahead with feasibility study on US cracker project30 November 2011Sasol’s board of directors has approved a feasibility study for a possible cracker and derivatives project at Lake Charles, Louisiana.The project could cost between $3.5bn and $4.5bn."The envisaged capacity of the cracker will be to produce between 1m and 1.4m tons of ethylene per annum," Sasol said.The feasibility study is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2013.

Braskem to consider US cracker, PE project19 April 2011Brazil-based petrochemical and polymers company Braskem is considering a greenfield investment in an ethylene cracker and a polyethylene (PE) plant in the US.